Most kingdoms do anything they can to protect their king. This is the unspoken premise of the game of chess, for example. When the king falls, the kingdom is lost. Therefore, the king must be protected at all costs. Another notable example comes from the Allied invasion of Normandy on D-Day, June 6, 1944. British Prime Minister Winston Churchill desperately wanted to join the expeditionary forces ...

Texts: Passages concerning the sacrifice of Jesus (Leviticus 16, Isaiah 53, Matthew 16:21–28, Luke 18:31–34, John 12:20–36, Philippians 2:5–11)

Principle: In the kingdom of God, death precedes life.

Objects: A sharp knife, cutting board, ingredients for making salsa (or your favorite fresh food dish), and possibly even a way to distribute the food.

Experience: Begin by asking ...

God became a man for this purpose: since you, a human being, could not reach God, but you can reach other humans, you might now reach God through a man. And so the man Christ Jesus became the mediator of God and human beings.

God became a man so that following a man—something you are able to do—you might reach God, which was formerly impossible to you.

—St. Augustine

If you go over to Scotland, or anywhere there are lots of sheep, sooner or later you're going to see a very unusual sight. You'll see a little lamb running around the field, and you'll notice this lamb has what looks like an extra fleece tied around its back. In fact, you'll see there are little holes in the fleece for its four legs and usually a hole for its head. If you see a little lamb running ...

Text: John 14:6

Objects:

• one sturdy plank, 10–12 feet long
• one shorter plank, three to four feet long
• one piece of flimsy scrap lumber, 10–12 feet long
• two picnic tables (or other sturdy platform), placed end to end, eight feet apart
• a poster with John 14:6 printed on it

Activity: I select a volunteer (a smaller, outgoing child works best). I designate one table as heaven, the other as earth, ...

It sounded like a good idea at the time. When Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono wanted to emphasize his desire to help cut through bureaucracy, he decided to make his cell phone number available to the public.

His political savvy short-circuited, however, when he quickly received thousands of text messages. The increased volume overloaded his phone just one day after he invited citizens ...

The mayor of Salem, Massachusetts, recently initiated a reconciliation between two young boys (Dominic Serino, 9, and Ryan Decker, 11) and Kevin Kefalas, the owner of a local sausage stand close to the boys' homes.

The two boys had apparently started up a lemonade stand at the beginning of the summer and enjoyed a successful business. In fact, Ryan Decker's mother stated that they had made "a killing" ...

The famous Muir Woods in California are named for John Muir, famous explorer and naturalist. In his book, Travels in Alaska, Muir tells an amazing story of the Thlinkit and Sitka Indians, two tribes that readily accepted the preaching of the gospel in Alaska in 1879. He writes:

The Thlinkit tribes give a hearty welcome to Christian missionaries. In particular they are quick to accept the doctrine of ...

In 1863, during the Civil War, General "Stonewall" Jackson was accidentally shot by his own troops in 1863. His body was laid in the Capitol in Richmond, Virginia, for two days before his funeral at his home Presbyterian Church in Lexington. Tens of thousands of mourning Confederate people crowded into the Capitol building to look on their beloved leader for the last time.

As the sun was setting on ...

Alexandra Flynn of Fremont, Nebraska, was looking forward to the 2002 homecoming dance. She left home in high spirits, but she did not have her high school ID with her. When the man at the door refused her admission without her ID, she went home to get it.

Unable to find it, her mother went with her back to the dance to identify her and to explain. Again, the daughter was refused admission without ...